Five Great Pool House Ideas

A pool house can be a fantastic addition to your pool area. As well as adding value to your property it also creates a handy area for family and friends to use for entertaining. It can also be a functional space that will help save a lot of unnecessary clean up in your house. By having a shower in your pool house you can stop the trail of wet footprints through your house and people sitting on your furniture with wet bathers. A pool supplies store can give you ideas on what makes a good pool house, and then discuss your needs with your builder.


Photo: Susan Sharpless Smith

Design
Decide what you will be using your pool house for and work out what your budget is. You may just want to have a bathroom with a toilet and shower, to save people walking through your house when they have just got out of the pool, or you might want to create a whole entertainment area with comfortable lounges, a bar, room for things like a pool table, inbuilt stereo equipment and even an open fireplace so you can make use of the space during winter.


Flooring
Think about the type of flooring you will be putting down when you design your pool house. Choose something that doesn't matter if it gets wet, and is easy to clean. You might also want to choose something that won't be slippery when it is wet, particularly in the main traffic areas. You could put rugs down under your lounge and other areas where you relax to make it a little more cosy.

Bathroom
The thing you should definitely include in your pool house is a bathroom. Make it large enough for a shower, a sink and a toilet, and for convenience you might want to have access to the bathroom directly from outside so people don't have to traipse right through the pool house dripping wet. Having an outdoor shower on the side of the pool house is also a good idea if people choose to just have a quick rinse off.


Storage
Put in plenty of storage. Every home finds they quickly run out of storage and if you build extra storage space you might be able to clear some of the clutter out of your home and store it in the pool house. You can be clever and build window seats with storage underneath and have a wall of cupboards and deep drawers. Put in towel rails and pegs for clothing. It is good to have a place to store all your towels, sunscreen, swimming gear and pool toys. You could also build an outdoor cupboard for your pool chemicals and cleaning. equipment.


Furniture
Choose furniture that is a little more hard wearing as you will find that people will sit on it with wet bathers. Your furniture will also end up covered in sunscreen and insect repellent. Choose furniture with canvas cushion covers or with removable covers that are easy to wash. Glass, metal or wicker furniture works well in a pool house and won't matter if it gets a little damp.